Wrath of the Warlock
by Vampkill6
Summary: This is a book I am writing, taking place in medieval times, in which a magical orb is discovered that will unleash a gigantic magical explosion once it gets heated to a certain temperature.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Adun glanced up from his parchment on which he was writing a letter to the town council about some expenses he owed them, when he heard someone calling him from down in the bar. The year was 1124 and the new king had just passed a new law increasing taxes for everyone above the peasant status. Adun was a mercenary, and with the increased taxes help was always wanted with guarding caravans transporting the silver and gold pieces. On the side however, Adun owned a tavern for when he was not working for the kingdom so he could make ends meet.

Since he was working for the kingdom, he made a deal with the collectors. In return for working for them, they would just take his taxes directly out of his pay. He never had to worry about missing the taxes because if he did not actually work, he did not make the required money to pay the increased taxes. All he needed was a little set aside in case there was no work to be done. In his spare time he enjoyed going hunting to get meat for food and hides for clothes and other furniture needs.

Adun opened the door to his room and yelled down the stairs, "I'll be right down!" He walked over to the wall opposite his writing desk and walked over to the water basin. He grabbed his ladle and drank some water before splashing some on his face. Turning to his left, he grabbed the cloth hanging on the wall and dried himself off. He threw some leather garb and went down the stairs locking the door behind him.

As he entered the main room of the tavern, he instinctively glanced around getting used to his current surroundings. All he saw was a man wearing a black hooded robe carrying a wrapped objected slung over his shoulders. He glanced up when Adun entered the room and said, "Please, take a seat we have some grave matters to discuss." Adun went over to the bar and took his key ring off of his belt loop and selected the grimiest key on it. He stepped behind the bar and unlocked the cabinet behind it. He glanced at his strange guest and said, "Would you like some ale, stranger?"

His guest shrugged his shoulders and replied, "No, I don't think I will and you might want to save yours until after I tell you the news." He walked to the table closest the bar and sat down after taking the package off his back. After sitting down he leaned the item against the edge of the table and took off his hood. He looked directly at Adun and said, "Please, take your seat. You may want to be sitting once you hear the news."

Adun glanced at the stranger then to the bottle in his hand. He placed the bottle on the counter and turned back to the cabinet. He pulled out a bottle of something stronger and poured a goblet full of an amber liquid. He took a sip of the ale sitting on the counter before placing it back in the cabinet and locking it back up again. He sighed as he turned and walked to the end of the counter. He sauntered over to the table and sat directly across from the stranger and said, "Say what you're going to say."

Without missing a beat he lowered his head and blatantly says, "Your father was murdered last night. Three days ago he gave me this parcel and a note in case of his death, which I am starting to think he might have foreseen."

Adun glanced at the bottle then took a couple of sips of the amber beverage before saying, "Give me the package and the note and wait here." After receiving the items, Adun downed the rest of the amber liquid, slammed the goblet on the table, and went back up to his private quarters. He walked in and locked the door behind him. Walking over the desk, Adun leaned the package against the wall, then sat down at the desk. He sat and thought for a few moments before opening the drawer. He pulled out the dagger at the front of his items, slit the seal of the note, and began to read the letter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Adun placed the letter on the desk and grabbed four paper weights so the letter would not move around due to any drafts. While reading writing on the page, Adun noticed that there was a slight change in the atmosphere of the room. He looked around but did not see anything out of the ordinary, so he continued to read the note.

_Adun, if you are reading this, then I am no longer part of this world. I wrote this because three days ago I discovered a dark secret in the king's castle. One day when I was helping some young squire find his way around the grounds, I noticed a dark robed figure entering a secret chamber at the bottom of the giant oak tree. I spent a little of my saved coin to purchase an invisibility potion from the market. I went to the tree after the castle had gone to sleep, drank the potion and waited. After about a couple of hours, the door opened as the same man came out. Thanks to my quick reflexes, I was able to slip inside before he closed the door._

_ I grabbed a torch from the wall and made my way down the dark corridor. When I reached end I came across a locked door. I reached into my pouch, fumbled around for a bit and eventually withdrew an iron lock pick. After a few seconds of fiddling, the door swung open and I entered the room after placing the lock pick back in my pouch. Inside the room was a black altar at the center with a circle of strange looking markings on the floor. As I approached the altar, the markings began to glow mysteriously. Once they reached the highest level of brightness, there was the sound of shifting rock. As I glanced around, I saw a secret compartment opening on the wall. I ran over and saw there was a piece of parchment inside. I withdrew the parchment before the compartment could close. I opened it and began to read what was written._

_ It was a detailed plan in which they found a magical artifact that would cause a colossal magical explosion if activated properly. It did not give any detail as to how it was set off or when they would activate it once they found out. All it had was a physical description about it. So here is what I can remember about it: It is an orb with runes around the outside, about 6 inches in diameter, and it weighs almost nothing. I do not remember what color it is, but that is not important right now._

_ As I finished reading the plans, I heard a click from the compartment and I realized they had a timed pressure plate trap rigged. If the parchment was gone for so long it would set off the trap. I dropped the parchment and started to run back to the tunnel. As I was running I noticed it was getting colder inside the chamber. Just as I got to the door, another door opened and two men entered the room. I ran back to the entrance, went outside, closed the door, and jammed it shut with my dagger. _

_ I write this letter in the hopes that you will search for this orb and destroy it. You may want to start where I left off with the secret chamber. This parcel contains the family sword passed down through the generations along with the longbow that I crafted two years ago. This is my final farewell. I hope you can put an end to this and save the realm._

_Your friend and father,_

_Jethro, Head of the Defenders_

Adun finished reading the letter and folded it back up neatly. He grabbed a piece of twine from his drawer and tied the letter shut before going to place it in his lock box next to the bed. After locking it back up, he went and opened the package. First, he grabbed the sword and removed it from the scabbard. The blade itself was about three feet long and was made of pure silver and had several intricate designs on it. Adun turned the blade in his hand and found the sword had recently been sharpened and polished. It looked brand new despite the fact it was 150 years old. The hilt was made of heavy iron and had leather wrapped around it for increased comfort.

Adun placed the sword down on the table and changed into his chainmail armor. He walked back to the table, grabbed the sword and sheathed it before tying it to his waist. He loved the feel of the cold blade against his skin. To him it was one of the greatest feelings in the world second only to sleeping with a woman. He thought about how much blood this blade had drawn over its lifetime. He bent down to grab the bow and noticed it was heavier than most bows. Upon examination, Adun discovered that the bow was made of pure oak and was extremely sturdy. He slung it over his shoulders and placed the quiver beside it. He grabbed the parcel wrapping and placed it with the other stuff he would burn later. Adun thought for a few moments about what he needed to get started and left the room locking it behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

As Adun made his way back down the stairs, he overheard a pair of voices in the tavern below. Deciding to wait and see what would happen, he stopped at the bottom of the stairs before going in. "Why did you come here?" a deep voice asked the stranger. The stranger mumbled something incoherent and there was a loud thumping noise followed by a high-pitched scream.

"Okay Reavis, I will tell you what you want to know."

Reavis grunted and began to speak. "First Gerard, I want to know exactly why you brought Adun the note and package from his father."

Adun heard Gerard's weight shift slightly, as if he was turning to look at Reavis. "Jethro is my best friend and my mentor. I was simply doing this as a favor for him. Since when does this concern _you _Reavis?" Adun heard the telltale sound of a blade ripping through flesh and cloth.

"It started being my concern once Jethro found my masters' hidden plans." After hearing the blade withdraw from Gerard's back, Adun drew his bow and notched an arrow. "Some people never learn do they, Adun? I know you are there, why not come out and have a civil conversation. We have much to discuss."

Adun thought for a few moments before replacing his bow and arrow. Instead he dropped a jug lightly on the floor so it would make a clanking noise without breaking. He drew his dagger and hid it in the back of his armor at the waist. He slowly stepped out into the tavern and glanced around to get his bearings once again. He saw his previous guest slumped over the table with a large knife wound that appeared to go through his spine. What he saw frightened him. The newcomer in his tavern wore the black cloak described in his father's letter. He withdrew his hood and Adun saw the man had shortly cropped black hair, dark blue eyes, and no facial hair.

Adun glared at Reavis and blatantly asked, "Who are you and what the hell do you want?"

"What I want, my dear man is for this quaint little village of yours to surrender to us. As the most successful proprietor in the village that decision is up to you and you alone. If you give up peacefully we will let you keep your business here on the condition that our men get a huge discount on rooms whenever they need somewhere to stay for the evening. The decision is yours, Son of Jethro."

Adun grimaced at the thought of shelling out good rooms at dirt cheap prices, let alone to the firm that murdered his father. "And what happens if I say no?" he said as he walked towards Reavis.

Reavis grinned and replied, "Then we have no choice but to take your village by force. If we do that the women and children will go first. The men will be under orders to rape all the women. Whether or not they are alive at the time is up to the likings of the men. After we kill all the men, you will be saved for last. We will drag you in front of all the survivors and slit your throat in town square. Once you are dead, we will take over your tavern and the men will get free food and lodging. So, I repeat myself; the decision of your village's fate is up to you."

Adun slowly reached behind his back and grabbed the dagger. In one quick motion, he swung his arm forward and slightly flicked his wrist. The affect this had on the dagger was fairly simple. It went flying through the air like a hot knife through butter. Just as Reavis realized what happened, his eyes widened as the blade lodged itself in his sternum. He fell down to his knees holding the hilt of the dagger. Adun walked casually over to him, as if nothing had happened. He placed his foot on the dagger protruding from Reavis' chest and pushed him to the floor.

He looked down and saw pain and fear in the eyes of his unwelcome guest and grinned. He reached down and grasped the dagger with both hands. "I choose neither," he said calmly as he twisted the blade slowly to the left. "Before you die you must know that your corpse will be left disrobed in town square with a message carved into your torso." He thrust the dagger deeper into Reavis' torso and gave one more final twist. Reavis took one final rattling breath and died. Adun withdrew the dagger and began carving the message he had mentioned.

_This is a warning to those who would pursue and try to stop me. If you follow I will kill you. If you try to invade my tavern in my absence you will meet the same fate by some means you will find most unpleasant. This is your one and only warning; heed it well._

Adun had learned quite a few tricks from all of the people he had gone adventuring with. He was able to cast some certain spells with some mediocre skill. He cast a flame spell at the dagger long enough to heat it just below the melting point of the iron. As soon as it was heated, he retraced all the wounds cauterizing them so they would not bleed out causing a mess. He then cast a frost spell on the dagger before setting it down so it would not set the floor on fire. Once he made sure nothing would go up in flames, Adun dragged the corpse over near the door and leaned it against the wall

After making sure the body was secure and not falling over, he walked over to Reavis' clothes and started looking through the personal effects. He found about 25 gold pieces and a note. He placed the gold in his coin purse and the note he folded and put in his pouch. He had every intention on reading it later once he placed the corpse in town square and cleaned up the tavern. He walked back over to the door, grabbed the body, and started dragging it out to the square, locking the door behind him.

On the way to the center of town, many of the townsfolk were flocking to see what all the commotion was about. A few of the guards ran over to stop and detain the man dragging the body thorough the streets. However, once they got close enough to see that it was Adun, they had enough sense to back off. For they knew Adun did not kill anyone that did not deserve to die; nor did he ever kill anyone in cold blood. Needless to say they joined the small crowd that was following Adun through town.

Once he reached the town square, Adun picked up the body and turned around a few times looking at all the villagers. He lifted the body above his head and yelled to the crowd, "Let this corpse be a warning to the group that killed my father then tried to kill me." He threw the body to the ground at the base of the water fountain and started walking back towards the tavern.

He unlocked the door and stepped inside the front room. The blood from Gerard had started to soak into the wood and it was starting to smell like a rotting corpse already. He went and lifted the robe off the body Adun walked over and picked up his dagger again. He repeated the flame process and proceeded to delicately cauterize Gerard's wound on his back. Once the wound was properly sealed, he put Gerard's robe back down and picked up his body. He carried the body out to back and leaned it against the wall of the wood shed. He unlocked the wood shed itself and started gathering the materials needed to make a funeral pyre.

About half an hour later, once it was completed, went back to Gerard's body and picked it up. He held the corpse for a few moments and set it down on the pyre. Once he made sure the structure was sound Adun began to prepare the body. He washed all of the visible skin such as the face and hands. After the body was clean, Adun moved his arms and folded his hands over his chest. The final thing that was done was the closing of the eyes. Adun stepped back and made sure that everything was all set.

Adun lifted his hands in the air and prayed for the safe passage of Gerard's spirit and soul into the afterlife. Once the prayer was complete, Adun used his flame technique to set the pyre ablaze. As soon as he made sure it was properly lit, he turned around and made his way back to the main building. Once he reached the door, he glanced back at the pyre one more time. The flames had already burned away the clothing and were starting to burn the flesh. Adun stood there thinking for a few moments, then turned around and went back inside.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After Adun went back into the tavern, he went behind the counter and lit the wooden stove. He grabbed an iron pot and filled it with water from the basin next to the cabinet with the drinks. He placed the pot full of water on the stove and decided to go take care of a few other things while the water was heating up. He went to the other end of the bar and crouched down behind it. He opened up the cupboard and grabbed some rags. He placed a few rags on the counter and walked back over to the table where Gerard was killed. He placed the rest of the rags on the table and started moving the table itself away from all the blood pooled on the floor. He began to attempt to soak up all the blood he could with the rags.

As soon as most of the blood was mopped up he got up and took the bloody rags to the counter and set them down. He walked over to the pot and removed it from the stove. After he extinguished the flame, he went over and dropped the other rags in the boiling water. Careful not to spill any water, Adun walked slowly over to the table and set the pot down on the floor. He used the rags soaked in the water to clean and sterilize the table plus the remainder of blood on the floor.

Once he was done cleaning up the room, he took all of the bloody rags out to the back and threw them on the pyre with the remains of Gerard's body. He stood there for a few moments watching the cloth go up in flames before turning around and heading to his wood shed. He figured he might as well chop some wood to make up for the materials used for the pyre. About 15 minutes later he laid down the axe, stacked the wood neatly, and then shut the door locking it.

Adun went back to the back door of the tavern, went inside and locked it behind him. He made his way up the stairs and entered his room. He walked over to the desk and sat down wallowing in his thoughts. He then remembered the note he had taken from Reavis clothing along with the gold. He reached into his pouch and pulled it out of his pouch and opened it. He repeated the process of weighting down the note with his paperweights. He double checked to make sure that the letter was secure, and then he began to read.

_Reavis, I trust you will find out exactly what Jethro found out when he infiltrated our quarters. You must also dispose of his personal messenger and the son. If they ever find the location of the Warlock Sphere before we do, our plans will be all for naught. Failure is not an option._

Adun finished reading the letter and decided not to leave any trace of what has been going on. He proceeded to burn the note written to Reavis and the letter from his father. Deciding to be most efficient, he held the corner of both parchment pieces in the flame of the candle on his desk. Once it was lit ablaze, he dropped them in the empty bucket built for that exact purpose. As soon as he made sure no embers were getting out, he went and opened the window so the smoke would billow out of the window and not stay in the room. When the parchment was burnt enough, Adun got some water from the basin and put out the fire.

After making sure that the fire was completely put out and the remains were just smoldering, Adun went to prepare for his journey to the castle. He walked over to the cabinet that had his personal belongings. Unlocking it granted access to everything he needed. The first thing he grabbed was about 250 gold pieces in case he needed to buy food or get his equipment repaired. He also saw fit to grab some more arrows and food for the road. After placing the items in their respective places on his person, he locked the cabinet back up and left the room locking it as well.

Adun walked down the stairs and went back over to the booze cabinet. He reached beside it and grabbed a flask which he filled with the same amber liquid as before. He placed the flask and a few bottles of ale in the pouch and locked the cabinet. He made sure that he had everything he needed and then headed for the door. After he stepped back out into the street, he turned back to the tavern long enough to lock the front door. As he turned back to the street, he saw that the original group flocking to Reavis' corpse had finally dissipated. Life was pretty much going along normally; every now and then some people would stop and read the message carved in the torso.

Adun walked over the town stables and went over to the stable master. "Good day, Mack. I will need my steed ready in about 15 minutes."

Mack did not even look up when he responded, "Okay Adun, he will be ready when you are." Adun nodded and went back into town. He walked over to the general store and went inside. Inside there a few people in the store itself and the shopkeeper behind the counter. On the counter was a sign detailing the currency exchange rate. There was 50 copper to 1 silver, 50 silver to 1 gold, and 50 gold to 1 platinum. Adun walked over to the adventuring wares and started to peruse the stuff on the racks. He picked up a couple of water skins and slung them over his shoulders to free his hands. Looking along the rack he found a flint and tinder box, which he picked up. The last thing he grabbed was a few lengths of rope. After deciding he had everything that he needed, Adun walked over to the counter and placed his items on the counter. The shopkeeper looked at the items and said, "That is 1 gold for the water skins, 1 silver for the flint set, and at 8 silver pieces each that is 24 for the ropes. So for everything that is 1 gold and 25 silver." Adun reached in his coin purse and pulled out 2 gold. He placed it on the counter, took his 25 silver pieces as change and left without a word.

After Adun left the store, he went back over to the stables and when to get his horse ready. He hung his pouch on the saddle and draped his sword over the side. He walked back over to the stable master and gave him 5 gold pieces. "This is a nice little tip for having my horse ready on time," he said. The man took the gold and grunted a word of thanks. Adun sauntered back over to his horse, saddled up, and began to ride out of town towards the castle in the distance.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

As Adun left the village, a small group of about 20 people followed him to the edge of town to see him off. Of the people seeing him off, about 5 of them were adults and the rest were adolescents who were impressed with what Adun had done to Reavis. When Adun reached the end of town, he turned in his saddle and lifted his had as a farewell and started galloping off into the distance. The crowd dispersed once he was no longer visible and went back to their daily routines.

Once Adun had traveled for a few hours, he halted the horse and dismounted to get some water and forage for food. After looking around for a few moments, Adun found a berry bush. He picked a handful and took them back to his horse. He leaned against a nearby tree eating the berries while thinking about what he was going to do. After he finished eating the berries, Adun mounted his horse once more and continued riding. He looked up at the sun and guessed it was around 3 in the afternoon by its position.

After riding for a couple more hours, Adun decided it was time to set up camp for the evening. Once he had dismounted, he tied the horse to the closest tree he could find and took out his bedding. He laid down his sleep roll and went to look for some firewood. About 20 minutes later, he brought an armload of wood and some twigs to get the fire started. He set down the stuff in the middle of the clearing and arranged a circle of rocks. Starting the fire was a simple task; he piled the twigs on the ground inside the circle and placed two pieces of wood on top of them. A few strokes of his flint later, the fire was catching and starting to move to the actual firewood.

Once he made sure the fire was burning well enough, Adun went off a little deeper in the woods to look for some animals that would provide him with food. Adun was hoping for deer, as he loved the taste of venison, but he would settle for rabbit. He glanced around looking for a tree he would be able to climb easily and saw one with a few knots he could use as support. Once he climbed up a ways he stopped and looked around. He did not see any deer but did see a nice looking burrow with some rabbits entering and leaving every minute or two. Deciding that he was going to have rabbit for a meal, Adun pulled out his bow and took careful aim while maintain his balance on the sturdy limb. The arrow flew straight and true hitting one of the rabbits in the side. Adun climbed back down the tree after putting his bow away, and went to claim his kill.

After bringing the rabbit back to his camp, he proceeded to skin and gut the rabbit. Once the rabbit was clean, Adun pick up a branch next to him and sharpened one of the ends. He speared the rabbit and held it over the open flame. After the meat was thoroughly cooked, he took it out of the fire and allowed it to cool off a bit before beginning to eat. He took the final bite and made a mental note to do more hunting in the area in the future. Adun broke the branch into a few pieces and added them along with one more firewood piece to the fire before sitting down next to the fire. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the letter from his father. As he read it once more he began to wonder exactly what the orb looked like. He thought he might not know it when he found it, but that thought left his head rather quickly when he reread the part about the markings on it.

After reading the letter a few times, Adun put it back into his pouch and took off his armor. He realized it was going to be cold for the night so he set his bedroll close enough to the fire to keep himself warm without fear of getting burned. He set his armor and weapons on the other side of the bedding in case he needded to get them in a hurry in the middle of the night. He laid down with his hands behind his head and looked up into the night sky. Initially, he was hoping to see some stars but some clouds had shown up in the night hours so all he saw was a blurred outline of the moon. Soon after, he fell into a deep, dreamless, sleep as the fire continued to burn.


End file.
